Recently, a letter to the editor was published that falsely claimed the sun was responsible for global warming. This idea is wrong; we have the data to prove it. Humans are causing climate change, period. Fortunately, there are things we can do to stop the effects. Smart decisions that will reduce our dependency on foreign energy, improve national security, and solve the climate problem.
I am a climate scientist – I study how fast the Earth is warming. Our research has been confirmed by thousands of scientists working independently across the globe. We know how fast the Earth is warming, and we know the cause. We humans emit heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere that hold energy in, like the walls of a greenhouse. Of course, we call these “greenhouse gases.” We scientists know the cause. We also know that the sun is not the reason for warming.
The recent letter by Chuck Flickinger suggested the sun caused warming. He is wrong. First, we have satellites that are measuring sun intensity. Guess what? It isn’t changing.
Secondly, nights are warming faster than daytime (when the sun is shining). If Mr. Flickinger was correct, days would warm more than nights.
Third, the greenhouse gases are holding heat down near the Earth and as a result, the upper atmosphere should cool (and we have measured this cooling). If Mr. Flickinger were correct, the entire atmosphere would warm.
Finally, greenhouse-gas warming would cause the poles to warm faster than near the Equator (where most sun shines). Bingo, we are seeing that as well. Again contradicting Mr. Flickinger.
Our understanding of greenhouse gas warming goes back to the 1800s. This is a mature science that is well tested. We scientists wish there was an alternative explanation but sometimes the truth has to be faced. So, instead of listening to pseudo-science, I encourage your readers to think about how they can contribute to reduce our impact on the Earth so that we can create clean energy jobs, participate in the new energy economy, and leave a healthy planet to our kids.
Dr. John Abraham
University of St. Thomas
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